Your First Love Never Dies
by Spectacularly Peculiar
Summary: Set near the end of the series. Aang and Zuko try to find the Sun Warriors in order to relearn firebending. What they find is a link to Aang's past. What repercussions does this have for the gang?
1. Prologue

**Ok so I know anyone reading this is probably saying to themselves "wtf took her so long?"Aaand I'm sorry about that! Honestly, I'm surprised I picked up writing again. College got more than a little crazy so I basically had either no free time or no inspiration. What is my inspiration now you ask? I started watching the Avatar series again and found the ending to be highly unsatisfactory so I'm going to tweak it for my own personal pleasure. ^_^ I don't know what happened to the other stories I was working on, I'll try and find the drafts I wrote up so I can finish them. I'll probably end up just deleting them. **

**This story starts toward the end of the series: Zuko has just joined their group and has discovered that he can't firebend. I believe the episode is called "The Sun Warriors".**

'Thoughts'

"Spoken"

"**Spirit's voice" this includes Aang in the Avatar state**

**That having been said, I don't own the characters belonging to the plotline of the original series. Any and everything else belongs to me. Have fun reading and don't forget to tell me what you think!**

**Prologue – Yin**

Zuko was frustrated. Scratch that. Zuko was furious. At himself. And yet he still couldn't turn his burning fury into actual flame. He stared out into the canyon the Western Air Temple was built into. 'I left a life of luxury, I left my father, and I switched sides all to teach the Avatar to firebend and now I can't even do THAT. How am I going to fix this? How can I make this up to Aang?'

"I think Toph's idea is pretty good. Besides learning alongside you has its advantages, too." Aang, ever hopeful, had latched on to Toph's idea of learning from the original firebenders with zeal. Too bad Zuko would have to shut him down. The least he could do was look him in the face as he pulled the rug out from under him.

"That's great and all but the original firebenders, dragons, are all extinct. Have been for years." And there was that kicked puppy look Aang seemed to do so well. Zuko rested his elbows on the railing and hung his head.

"Too bad what worked for me can't work for you, Twinkle Toes. Don't worry, we'll think of something." Zuko's head snapped up.

"Wait, you learned from the badgermoles, right Toph?"

"Yeah…" She 'looked' at him quizzically, thinking he had finally lost it.

"And you learned from her, right Aang?"

"Yeah. What's your point, Zuko?"

"My point? My point is: we can do the same thing with firebending. We can learn from the firebenders who learned directly from the source."

"Really? We can do that?" He was all enthusiasm and sparkling eyes again and Zuko's elation dropped several notches. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, not exactly. We can learn from the civilization they left behind when they died out. But even just being there might spark our inner flames into life."

Sokka was skeptical. "So, you're just going to go to some ruins and hope something happens?"

Zuko shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

And, as things turned out, it was.

After flying for hours to get to the ruins the two boys disembarked from Appa and started to poke around. In Aang's case that phrase was literal and, after nearly falling into a pit of spikes, Aang voiced his feelings that the ruins were trying to poke him back which made Zuko laugh. Finally, Zuko managed to provoke the ruins into giving them both a swift kick in the pants by removing a golden egg. In all honesty, he only did it to get back at Aang for making him do that stupid looking Dance of the Dragon. Even if there wasn't anyone else around, Zuko still felt embarrassed. And now they were paying for it. After being stuck for hours in goo underneath the grate, the two fell to talking about the stars that were slowly peeking out and making their way across the sky above them.

"You don't see stuff like this in the cities. There's too much light. It's one of those things that make camping out night after night worth it."

Zuko looked up and, knowing a little bit of astronomy and how heavenly bodies moved, he asked an obvious question. "Are they different from the stars a hundred years ago?"

"I don't know. I remember looking at the sky and I remember the constellations and where they are but… I can't tell if they're really the same or if I just don't remember right." He gestured to the sparks of light in the sky and smiled. "You know, the monks once told me that every star in the sky is a good soul that has passed on. The brighter the star, the kinder the soul."

Zuko thought of his mother and smiled a little. Not knowing where she was, he had always assumed her dead. "I like that idea. It gives you the sense that the people you loved will always be there, no matter what."

There were suddenly shadows blocking out the stars and before they could say or do anything they were surrounded by the Sun Warriors.

Then there was a girl's voice shouting, "No! Don't kill them! That's the Avatar! Stand down! Stand down!" Whoever their savior was, she was out of their range of sight. The Warriors relaxed their fighting stances, pulled them out of the muck, and marched them to a clearing not too far off.

The whole situation, sitting near a fire and being simultaneously lectured by the Sun Warrior chief and licked clean by giant anteaters, left our young heroes feeling more than a bit overwhelmed and tired. But they were going to meet the masters and that was all that mattered. Throw in the fact that it was a relatively simple task they were to be put through before their Judgement (they tried hard not to think about that part) and they were pretty happy with the arrangement. The chief finished his explanation and said simply, "It's late. You will be our guests for the night and bring the masters your sacrifice of flame at first light. Yin! Come show our guests their accommodations."

"Who's Yin?" Aang whispered to no one in particular. Zuko, being a cranky sort of person when tired, replied snappishly, "How am I supposed to know?"

"I was just thinking out loud! Besides, it's probably some angry-looking, muscle-bound Sun Warrior who wants to burn us to… a… crisp?" Aang's voice drifted off into a question, his eyes locked on something over Zuko's shoulder. Turning around to see what had captured the young Avatar's attention he thought, 'So much for the muscle-bound guard'. There stood a woman who looked both very similar and very different from the crowd. She had the features of everyone around her but her dress was not in the fiery red tones of her comrades but a bright forest green with gold trim. She bowed to them and giggled at their twin expressions of shock.

"Please. Follow me." She led the way through some dense woods to a stone building surrounded by a high stone wall with guards at the gate. The guards parted to let them pass. "You will be sharing a room with me as an extra security measure."

"Why? We've already told you why we're here. You know I'm the Avatar AND we have to see the masters at first light. Where would we go?"

"Nevertheless. The chief, not to mention the rest of the Warriors, are all concerned you may leave and tell others we are here. I'm sure you realize that such a revelation to the world would be a death sentence to us while Ozai remains Fire Lord. If he were not Lord… well, then you wouldn't be here, would you Avatar Aang?"

Zuko was immediately suspicious. "How did you know he was the Avatar? You weren't there at the gathering."

"Very astute Prince Zuko. But I know the Avatar when I see him."

Aang spoke in an awe-struck voice. "You were the one that stopped them from attacking us earlier."

She turned and smiled at them again. "Yes, I am. You're very lucky that I'm stubborn and insisted on accompanying the patrol. We are trained to burn first and ask questions later. Don't worry, since you're the Avatar, you're being trusted. Here we are."

"If this is trust I'd hate to see what you do to the people you don't trust." Zuko glared at the guards outside this door, too.

Gesturing at them, Yin replied, "They're more of a show of strength than an actual threat to you and we know it. Neither of you may not be able to fire bend but you" she pointed at Zuko "have great skill with a sword and you" she pointed to Aang "have the other elements at your disposal. The guards wouldn't stand a chance against both of you." She ushered them inside and closed the door behind them. Walking over to an armoire in the corner, she pulled out linens. "I'm sorry, we don't really have mattresses here. But there are some thick blankets to lay down if you want them."

Zuko felt a niggling sensation in the back of his mind. Something was still off, but he didn't know what. "The guards, sure. But what about you? They wouldn't make us room with you without a reason."

"She's the strongest warrior they have." Zuko looked, surprised, at Aang who was right next to him staring intently at their jailer's back as she finished fixing beds for them. "I don't know how I know that. But I do."

She looked up from her kneeling position over a bed. "It's simple. The same way I knew you were the Avatar. I just… did. "

And she smiled in such a way that left Zuko wondering what other secrets she had to hide.

**Well, there you are. It's more like a teaser than an actual prologue but hey, you forgive me, right? Comment, criticize, review! Please?**


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks very much to my reviewer from the last chapter, GF. cyber-books. You made my day.**

**Now things really start deviating from the series. And we get to find out a little bit more about Yin. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1 – Lesson Number 1**

Zuko's tenuous control on his temper snapped. "And you expect me to just believe that?"

Aang stepped between him and the source of his frustration. "Zuko, you need to calm down! Yelling at our hostess will get us nowhere." He turned and bowed formally to her. "I'm sorry for my friend's behavior. Please accept our apology."

"You don't need to suck up to me you know." She could see the blush creep up his cheeks. It was quite funny, actually. "It's fine, really. I understand his frustration. Come, there's something else to show you." She led them to a door on the far side of the room. "This is the bathroom. Hot baths have been drawn for all of us. Perhaps it is best if we relax before continuing our discussion."

This time, Zuko was too shocked and indignant to be mad. Not that he was a prude or anything but, somehow, being naked around another naked guy and a naked girl irked his sensibilities. "Wait, you're going to bathe in here WITH us? Can't we get some privacy?"

Yin was immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry but, I am not allowed to leave you alone for even a short amount of time. There are screens here that we can pull forward to undress and enter the baths. After which they will be pulled back again so I can continue to guard you. Is that a reasonable compromise?"

Zuko was about to snap again but Aang cut him off. "We don't have much of a choice, but thank you for trying to make us comfortable. I can handle the screens with my airbending."

"You don't need to bother. Servants will come in to do that for us and gather our clothes to be washed. There are robes for us all to use in the meantime." She rang a little bell by the tub closest to the door and three servants came in and pulled the screens around each of the tubs. Yin saw they were each with a servant before turning to her own bath. The woman who had come to serve her did move to draw the screen or help her with the ties on her dress. She simply stood there and scowled. Yin had to stifle a sigh as she woman took her clothes but made no move to help her as she nearly slipped on the wet stone floor. Though she had spent years on the island and had been approved by the masters some still considered her an outsider, this woman seemed to be one of those. Once the other two had settled into their baths, their clothes gathered, and robes placed within easy reach, the screens were taken away and the other two servants retreated.

"Do all of the Sun Warriors live like this? As either master or slave?" They looked at Aang. Zuko, confused because he knew not everyone could be equal otherwise the world would come to a halt. Yin, understanding because she knew that while hierarchies made the world work it was still nice to have that ideal of equality.

"No, this is the chief's home. Every Warrior takes a shift working in this house, or guarding it if there are visitors, but we all work and live here. There are some smaller houses that you didn't see on the way in. It's just a small part of the larger complex. Are your baths comfortable?"

Aang leaned back against the cushioned headrest. "I'm good. What about you Zuko?"

"It's fine. I'm used to it being a little hotter though", he said, feeling petulant.

"I can take care of that", she replied, taking advantage of the perfect opportunity to teach him just who he was dealing with. She had had about enough of his attitude, it's not like she was enjoying their predicament anymore than he was. So, feeling vindictive, she surrounded his tub with flames that nearly came over the sides. For the first time in a long time, Zuko felt real fear. Here he was in an unknown place without his firebending or even the most rudimentary of weapons, and he was surrounded by and at the mercy of the flames of someone else's creation. But before he could panic, the water heated and the flames disappeared.

She made sure to smile sweetly as she asked, "Is that better?"

"Yes. Thank you." Inwardly, he cringed. 'And, having decided I want to live to see the morning, I won't ask for any more favors.'

They basked in the hot water for a moment. Inwardly, Aang squirmed against the urge to ask the question that had been bothering him. Eventually, he couldn't contain his curiosity anymore. "How did you get here? I'm sorry but, I just can't believe that you were born here and lived here your whole life. You seem so different from everyone else."

"Is it that obvious? No, I wasn't born here. General Iroh brought me here when I was very young."

Zuko was shocked; he had never been told that story. "Uncle did?"

"His army burned down my village." There was a second where they just stared at her and she stared at the ceiling. She sat upright suddenly and turned to them. "Oh, wait! I just realized how that sounds and that's not how it happened at all. What I mean is: he and his army burned down my village after everyone died. See, everyone in my village died of an unknown, incurable illness. I was one of the first that fell ill but I was able to fight it off. My recovery gave people false hope for their loved ones. More and more people fell ill until I was the only healthy one left. Eventually, the Fire Lord ordered the village burned to prevent the spread of the disease. General Iroh was among those that patrolled the streets as they burned it down. He heard me crying and rescued me. He had already become the Dragon of the West so he knew about the Sun Warriors and thought they would take me in. And they did." She sighed and relaxed farther into the cooling water. "At the time, I didn't understand why he couldn't just let me die. I wondered, 'Didn't he understand what it would mean for me to have no one?' But, he talked to me and treated my burns and then I understood. I saw he was a good man with a good heart and not at all like the soldiers that had come through the village before. He actually wanted the fighting to be over." They passed the next half hour in companionable silence.

"Let's go back to the main room. Our clothes should be delivered by now." This time she didn't argue as Aang airbended the screens into place. They pulled on robes and followed her into the main room. "Ah, here are our clothes." She picked them up from the table where a servant had left them along with a tray of tea and some food. "Come, we'll change in the bathroom and then have dinner. It's not a lot, but it looks like enough for the three of us." Once done they put the screens back and she settled them all at the table poured the tea. "Now that we're all relaxed and in clean clothes is there anything about firebending specifically that I can help you with?"

Aang stared solemnly at his bowl of rice. "Well, I can't firebend at all."

"Really? That's strange. You seem like a very passionate person." She took a bite while he looked at her, confused. "Let me clarify. Each element has its own… characteristics. Air is flighty, always changing itself, and fearsome when angry. Water is healing, flowing with the changes made to it, but it can be cold and unforgiving. Earth is stubborn and usually changes gradually but when it does change rapidly you either get out of the way or die. Fire is the passionate element. It can give power and life but it can burn and damage when out of control. You are a passionate person, fire should come naturally to you." They continued to eat and she watched them both absorb this information. Eventually, Aang finished his bowl and set it down. The ceramic clicked softly against the tray.

"I promised I would never use firebending again after I burned Katara. Now I have to break that promise." She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. "I guess I feel a little bit better that it won't come easily now."

"Katara? Is that your girlfriend? Travelling companion?" She finished her bowl, too, and poured them all new cups of tea.

Zuko's laugh turned into a cough as he choked on his last bite and Aang blushed. "Uh, she's a traveling companion."

It was Yin's turn to blush and find her tea cup suddenly very interesting. "Oh, that's right. You're a monk; I guess you wouldn't be allowed a girlfriend. I'm sorry."

"Actually, back when I lived with the monks, there were sometimes betrothals between kids at different temples. There was one or two while I was there, usually the much older kids. But there were always things like field trips to other cities and temples so all the younger kids could meet each other." He laughed. "I remember all my friends used to make fun of me because this girl, La Yin, and I were good friends and we always made sure to visit each other. Even her friends used to say that, if we weren't careful, the monks would arrange our marriage and that would be the end of our friendship!"

Zuko, though he had been crowned prince of his country for most of his life, hadn't thought about arranged marriages. Or even marriage in general, except where it concerned his own parents and that wasn't a very happy union. So he asked, "Is a good marriage based on friendship first?"

"Well yeah, but that's not how kids see it. We were still at the "girls are icky" stage." They all laughed, easy and relaxed, each remembering a childhood that was far less complicated than the lives they were living now.

Wanting Aang to talk about his past more, they pressed him, "Was Lo Yin a good airbender, too?"

"Of course! She was the best at the Eastern Air Temple. Since I was the best at the Southern Temple they had us train together a lot. Honestly, it wouldn't have been too surprising if they DID match us up."

Yin frowned, suddenly. "She didn't get the tattoos though, did she? And… she was a year or so older."

The boys looked at her, wanting to inch away at the mysterious look clouding her eyes. Aang asked, "How did you know that?"

Yin bowed her head put her fingertips to her forehead like she had a headache. "Lo Yin was my grandmother's name. I was even named after her. She raised me for the first few years of my life because my mother died in childbirth. She used say that she was the last airbender and when she died there would be no more, ever. She used to show me airbending tricks in secret and tell me stories about a boy she knew as a child. He was the best airbender at the Southern Air Temple and she loved to play or spar with him. He was her best friend but she never said his name. She said he ran away one day and never returned but he would, eventually. And when he did she'd kick his butt to the Northern Water Tribe and back, just to teach him a lesson for worrying her."

She lifted her head and looked Aang in the eye. To him it seemed as though her eyes were a shade of grey-green he remembered from long ago. "You traded gifts once, didn't you? The day she became eligible for marriage was the same day you graduated to the highest level techniques."

He snapped out of his trance and saw that her eyes held no hint of grey. It made him stumble a moment for his words. "Yeah… we did. She made me a new whistle for Appa. And I gave her the first glider I ever made. She had to repair it after its first flight but she said she didn't mind. She wouldn't even let me switch with her."

"Of course not, she loved that you made it for her. She loved that you took the time to sit still and create something for her. She loved you. Look," Getting up, she moved over to the armoire and rummaged in the back, eventually pulling out a much worn looking staff "she even passed it down to me. It was one of the few things I managed to save from the fire."

Aang sat and cradled the staff for a long time. Yin and Zuko sat and sipped their tea and watched him get lost in his memories until late. Then they all went to bed.

**Reviews are a writer's air! Help me breathe!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – To Be Found Wanting**

As pale Dawn stretches her long fingers across the sky, sweet breezes flow in through open windows to make the curtains dance and to tease the travelers from their dreams.

One dreamt of times long past. This one dreamt of flying with brothers and sisters and bison and lemur monkeys; of old, kind teachers who were best friends, too; of sweet, grey-green eyes that always reminded him of spring and summer dawns shared together high up on the mountain top. This traveler dreamt of happy greetings from close friends, of accidental kisses and intentional gifts, and a budding young love that had been forgotten in the chaos and rush of responsibility and reawakening.

One dreamt of times that only seemed long past. This one dreamt of happy families and his own smiling, unscarred face; of trips to the beach with Mother and Father and Sister. All dear to him. All loved. And all loved him. This traveler dreamt of a time when his life was happy, his father hadn't yet taken his honor away, his mother was there and, though his sister was still cruel, Mother could make anything all better with a kind word.

The third traveler had come just as far as the other two, if not farther. One part of her had traveled down the years from the time dreamt of by the first. The other part of her knew only the times remembered by the second and remembered only old stories of those older times, before the rage of the Fire Nation ignited a war. This one tossed and turned on her bed made of thick blankets and accidentally kicked one or other of her charges. Her sleep was fitful and she didn't so much dream as remember a memory that wasn't her own. She didn't sleep so much as learn from an ancient spirit that dwelled within her, one that no one could know about. But in her lesson that night, she was told that the Avatar must know. He MUST know. This was the reason the spirit had come to her, had stayed with her through the years. Not just to teach and to train her but to prepare her to help the Avatar. And now the time had come. She must prepare herself for what was to come. She must…

The travelers rose from their beds slowly, sleepily. Fingers, arms, back, legs, toes were stretched and various joints popped. The three, who had been two and a stranger the night before, shared a sad look. Today was the day to be Judged by the masters. The stranger who was now a friend hoped that they would not be found wanting.

With the old staff returned to its hiding place and breakfast delivered and eaten, the three moved to the place of the sacred fire where the chief waited with yet another lecture, yet another speech. This one was short and sweet and did nothing to calm the shakes of the twelve-year-old boy who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. That was where the tough love of the other boy came to bear, though still she wanted to give a comforting word and still she bit her tongue. There were paths they each must take and she had interfered enough for now. She went with the Sun Warriors to wait at the mountain top for the arrival of the Judged.

All went well to the disappointment of some and the joy of her. But then, the Avatar let his flame go out. She could feel her heart stop. As the boys scuffled, the other flame ceased to exist, too. She wondered how, with her heart stopped as it was, she was still conscious. But then they tried to follow the Dance of the Dragon and they were Judged and they were not found wanting. And, as the masters' flames surrounded them in light and what she thought of as a kind of love, her heart started a happy staccato in her chest that was almost painful.

As sweet as this pain was, the feeling of triumph when she saw the crestfallen face of her fellow Warrior combined with the feeling of utter joy at the look on the boys' faces as they displayed their control over fire was a savory and heady wine that made her head spin and time slow. She drank deep of this wellspring, knowing it was short-lived.

"**Careful, child. You have much work to do yet. Breathe deeply, calm yourself."**

A deep breath later and her head had stopped spinning. Another deep breath, and time sped up again. Another, and her heart had calmed to a steady beat. The two boys were still speaking with the chief who was giving them a warning that they must never speak of the Warriors to anyone. Yin saw her opportunity.

She called the chief aside. "I think my time here is done. May I go with them?"

It was all agreed and she flew away with them within the hour, carrying all her possessions in a single pack. She brought the staff with her, too, but carried it separately since it would not fit.

Zuko sat towards the back playing with a ball of fire, smiling a little as he made patterns in the air. That gave Yin the opportunity she needed. She slid out of the harness onto Appa's head and settled herself gracefully next to Aang.

"Hey, you're pretty good at that. Most people get a little disoriented up here their first time."

"**I've had a lot of practice, Aang."** He turned to question how she could possibly have practice on a flying bison when he noticed her eyes. They were a beautiful shade of grey-green. Taking a quick glance at Zuko, to be sure he was still absorbed in his little fireball, Aang focused on her, eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?"

"**Oh, you don't know me?"** The voice sounded so disappointed.

"Why have you taken over Yin's body? What did she ever do to you?" It was a struggle for him to not yell. So soon after making a new friend did the spirits come to ruin it.

"**I have been with her since the beginning of her short life. I am not here to hurt her but to help her help you. There are things even she does not know about herself and if you are to defeat the Fire Nation then you will need my little Yin La's help."**

"Yin La?" She hadn't said anything about a middle name. Maybe she just shortened it for conveniences' sake?

"**Her father was a waterbender and gave her the name of the ocean spirit, La. Out of respect for her mother she was given the first name Yin."** The body winced.

"She's trying to take back control, isn't she? Give it to her and leave."

"**She may have her body back whenever she wishes but she gave me control so that I could speak to you myself. She does so hate being a messenger. And I cannot leave just yet, you haven't guessed my name."** The body smiled before the grey-green faded from the eyes. The smile faltered as she registered the look on his face. "Did you not want to speak to her?"

Aang's eyes narrowed. There was something off about this. "Who is she?"

"Can't you guess? I'll give you a hint." She turned and picked up the staff from where it leaned against the edge of the harness.

His jaw dropped and he stared at her. "Lo? Lo's spirit is in your body?"

Yin smiled as she cradled the ancient but sturdy staff in her lap. "She taught me all I know about air- and firebending."

Now he was just plain confused. At the same time, deep down inside in a place he wasn't redy to acknowledge yet, there was a kind of relief that he wasn't really the last of his people. "You can airbend, too?"

"Lo was my grandmother after all, and she married a firebender so…" Yin shrugged as if to say 'what else could happen?'

"But I thought that the Avatar was the only one who could control more than one element." Even as the words left his mouth, he could see the potential for learning she provided. And if the Fire Nation stayed unaware of her, that would give them an edge during the comet.

"Maybe. Maybe there hasn't been anyone like me before because I'm not supposed to exist. But whether that's the case or not, what matters is that I can control the elements and I'd like to help you if I can."

"I'd be stupid to turn down another teacher. But what about the other two elements?"

Yin blushed, embarrassed. "My paternal grandparents were water- and earthbenders."

"So all four then." He was quiet and contemplative. She smiled nervously then sighed. "Yep, all four. Do you know how hard I tried to keep all that a secret? Even my father didn't know. Only granmama and she could only teach me so much. The rest I learned from trying. As much as I wanted to help people I had to keep it quiet or the Fire Nation would have killed me. I couldn't stand up to them then and by the time I felt comfortable even sparring with another person rumors that you had finally returned reached us."

"It's ok. It's not like you could take the job of Avatar, even if you wanted to. The Avatar spirit is in me, you came by the talent naturally", he said, trying to make her feel better about not fighting his battles for him. He felt as though he would never quite forgive himself for running away that day, despite what he told others.

She leaned back and stared up at the blue that surrounded them. "I wonder if it all means something. I mean, my grandmother loved you as a child, enough to stay in this world for you after death. I can control all the elements and now I've finally met you. Do you think that it's all connected somehow?"

He felt like she was right, that there was a connection somehow even if he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "I think that meeting you was an amazing opportunity and I'm glad we're connected in this life."

"But our connection is just my grandmother and that is tenuous and temporary. Now that I've left the island, I can find a spiritual place and finally put my grandmother to rest. She has taught me all she knows, she has seen you again, and more than that she has been dead for years. It's time for her to move on."

"I know but, somehow, I don't feel like she should leave." She could see he squirmed unconsciously a bit at the idea.

"That's not it. You just don't want her to go. You've found a living, or close to it, link to your past and you don't want to lose it. But she HAS to move on, Aang. You know that." She touched his forearm lightly.

He put his hand over hers and squeezed gently. "Yeah. I know. But we still have some time before we can get to a spiritual enough place for us to help her cross over. In the meantime…" He stumbled over how to ask for what he wanted. He didn't need to bother, she knew.

"I'll let you enjoy her company as much as I am able. But, if you don't mind, I'd like to keep this between the three of us."

"I don't like keeping secrets, but I guess it's all right since she'll be gone soon. We can tell everyone else about her once we've helped her move on."

"Thank you." She smiled. "I'm going to keep Zuko company before he burns off the harness." She climbed up and away and induced Zuko to play a game of fireball juggling with her. They were still moving numerous balls of fire between them as Appa landed among the rest of the group.

"So, what…?" The question died on Katara's lips as she saw a beautiful, and obviously talented, girl gracefully dismount from Appa while still juggling fireballs with Zuko. 'Who is she? Aang's new teacher?' How could someone be so graceful while dismounting from a giant sky bison? A little worm of jealously writhed in the pit of her stomach. New teacher or not, she did not like this girl.

Aang was oblivious to Katara's sudden change of mood. "Oh, hey Katara. Yeah, everything went great. Zuko and I can firebend now AND I picked up a new teacher and fighter for our team. Everybody! Meet Yin La. She'll be teaching me and fighting alongside us from now on.

Yin passed all the flames to Zuko, who continued to juggle them all like a show off, and bowed to everyone. "Thank you for allowing me to help. I hope we will get along well."

Aang had no doubts. "I'm sure you'll all be fine. You're all friends with me so, after all, how different can you be?" He turned back to Katara. "So, what's for dinner?"

It was actually Sokka who answered. "Well, we've got some rice going and Toph and I managed to trap some meat."

The aforementioned girl huffed, annoyed. "What d'you mean "Toph and I"? I did all the work!"

Yin laughed. "If it's all right," She reached into her pack and produced a small package. "I have some sweets you might like. I made them myself. I have some tea leaves in here we can brew, too."

Throughout the evening, Yin was introduced to and talked with everyone. The others welcomed her, grateful to have another soldier on their side and, as they later found, a good cook as well. By the time they all went to bed everyone was good friends with everyone else. Or so they thought.

'I don't know what it is about her, but there's something off about that girl', Katara thought as she drifted off.

Yin, who had tried to ignore the subtle bad vibes from Katara all evening, turned her face to the glowing embers of the fire and tried to fall asleep. 'It seems Katara doesn't like me very much. I wonder why? There isn't any reason why she should feel threatened by me, but I guess that never stopped anyone before. In either case it seems that, according to her, I have been judged and found wanting.'

Yin dreamt strange and unsettling dreams that night and for many nights after.

Aaaaannnndddd now for the part where I reply to reviews from the previous chapter. I would've done it at the beginning but I like to think of it as an extra treat for the people nice enough to leave me a few words and continue to read the strange children of my imagination. ^_^

In the case of KiwiGuy2010 it was more than a few words. (In all seriousness, if you want to know what a well-rounded critique looks like just read his review.) First of all, I want to thank you KiwiGuy2010 for using proper grammar and spelling in your review. I don't know if it's just me but it makes me cringe to read lolspeak in a review. Shorthand is fine, I use LOL in reviews I leave all the time, but please, for the love of writing, use proper grammar and spelling! I know it's the internet and all but, really, English isn't that hard! (Obviously, my lovely readers for whom English is not a first language are exempt from that last comment and should not take offense if they really try.) As for the actual content of your review: I promise I have a reason for making the "reveal" kind of sudden and tactless. I needed the connection between them obvious and solid before she met everyone else. Also, keep that headache of hers in mind. (hint-hint-wink-wink-nudge-nudge)

As for the admittedly clumsy explanation of the elements, I'm going to chalk that up to a mixture of my absolute refusal to go with a spiritual representation (I think we got enough of that in the actual series), my subsequent attempt and failure at a literal representation, and my poor OC's inability to teach. ^_^ Again, thank you KiwiGuy2010 for the wonderful words you left for me. If I may say so, your review was a breath of fresh air. ;)


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